Leeann Akers

Residents of the North Fork Mobil home park began hearing rumors in September about a new retail development to be built in place of their homes. Community leaders created a Tax Increment Financing District to help the project move forward, but the property has yet to be sold, and residents have relied city and county meetings for information.

A local community college is participating in an experimental program which allows more students to get work-study jobs in their field of study. 

Maysville Community and technical college is one of 190 institutions from across the country that received a waiver in 2020 on federal financial aid rules from the U.S. Department of Education.

The Rowan County School District is still planning to return to in person classes on Monday, but that could change over the weekend.

86 new positive cases have been reported over the last 2 days, which is the highest numbers to date in the county.

Rowan County Superintendent John Maxey says he is talking with county leaders and healthcare professionals in order to make the best decisions for the district.

Local health officials say a nation-wide trend reported over the weekend does not apply locally.

On Sunday, Forbes reported a high percentage of health care professionals throughout the country—who have been prioritized as early receipts of the coronavirus vaccine—are hesitant or outright refusing to take it, despite clear scientific evidence that the vaccines are safe and effective.

Saint Claire healthcare president and CEO Donald Lloyd says his medical staff sees the vaccine as a god-send.

Morehead State University employees were updated on the institution’s budget during virtual convocation this week.

Higher education was hit hard by the global pandemic, and many universities are now scrambling to make up lost revenue.

Mary Fister-Tucker is the Chief Financial Officer and Vice President of Financial Services at MSU.  She says the university is in relative good shape financially, due in part to a reduction of cost drivers over the past few years.

The number of COVID-positive cases in Rowan County hit an all-time high this week.

County officials reported 38 new cases on Thursday and 48 the day before.  The County has 140 active cases as of Friday morning.  The Gateway Health Department District, which also includes Bath, Morgan and Menifee Counties, reported a total of 132 new cases within the same timeframe.

The Rowan County School system resumed virtual classes Monday morning and administrators are finalizing plans for in person classes. 

The Board of Education met virtually last week to discuss new guidelines put in place by the state and a tentative plan to reopen on a hybrid schedule January 11th.

Superintendent John Maxey says students who choose to attend in person will be assigned to one of two groups. 

The medical staff at Saint Claire Healthcare gathered for a virtual meeting on Tuesday evening to discuss the COVID-19 vaccine.

St. Claire Healthcare is waiting for its first allocation of the vaccine, but many are asking if shots are safe.

Chief Medical Officer Doctor Will Melahn is expecting the first doses to arrive on Monday, December 21st.

The first COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in the Commonwealth and healthcare workers are hoping to bust some myths surrounding the shots.

Although the vaccines are new, many theories previously connected to false data and anti-vaccine conspiracies are making the rounds of social media.

Dr. Will Melahn is Vice President of Medical Affairs at SCH.  He says it is important for health care professionals to fill the vacuum of misinformation with accurate scientific facts. 

With coronavirus cases on the rise, traditional theatre productions have not been possible this year

The Rowan County Senior High School Thespians have produced a radio play that will air on WMKY this week.  The classic tale, “It’s A Wonderful Life” will air Thursday, and twice next week, to celebrate the holiday season.

Director Kayla Stafford says most of the rehearsal process was done virtually, but the cast was able to gather for the performance.

In spite of the challenges of operating during a global pandemic, Morehead State University received its highest ranking to date.

MSU was named one of the Top Public Regional Universities in the South by U-S News and World Report for the 17th consecutive year and moved up 17th in the rankings.

President Dr. Jay Morgan thanked all the faculty and staff for their hard work during the December Board of Regents meeting.

A local pastor accused of indecent exposure entered an Alford plea in his criminal case during a pretrial conference Monday morning.

28-year-old Jacob Stegall was a youth pastor at Better Life Church in Morehead, but resigned his position in the wake of a criminal investigation with 4 different victims claiming he had exposed himself to them on different occasions beginning in 2016. He was charged with just one county of indecent exposure.

The family of a missing woman is hoping residents will search their properties for clues after evidence of foul play was discovered by police.

Jill Clayton was last seen Thanksgiving morning on Triple-C Trail and Rosedale Road, with Gary Jeffries.

Clayton’s sister, Katherine Holbrook, says they hope land owners in Rowan, Elliott, Morgan and Carter counties will search their properties, since an organized search would be difficult.

The Rowan County Sheriff’s department is investigating the case.  Anyone with information about Clayton is asked to call 784-5546

Maysville Community and Technical College is offering a new program to help students complete their degree.

The new Fresh Start: MCTC Student Debt Payback Program offers to waive $1,000 of existing student debt if they re-enroll and work towards finishing their degree.

Chief Enrollment and Student Services Officer Jessica Kern says the organization has looked at different programs for different student circumstances…especially during such an uncertain time.

Morehead State University is once again participating in Giving Tuesday, a global day of philanthropy.

The university is reaching out to alumni and donors to give to the fund of their choice, impacting students and programs directly. 

David Ray Gillum is the Alumni and Digital Engagement Officer at MSU.  He says the university has been focusing on donations for scholarships.

Local leaders and stakeholders gathered in Morehead Wednesday for the official opening of the AppHarvest 60 acre greenhouse facility. 

The greenhouse will grow non-GMO, chemical pesticide-free fruits and vegetables.

Founder and C-E-O Jonathan Webb says some experts believe that humans need 2 planet earths to feed the growing population by 2050.

Built with a $100 million-plus investment, AppHarvest’s first mega-greenhouse aims to grow 45 million pounds of tomatoes annually. Its target customers include grocery stores throughout the Eastern U.S.